Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has taken strict action against commercial establishments flouting the rule of displaying nameplates in Odia language. Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia informed the Assembly that in 2023, 190 establishments received show cause notices, and 170 faced prosecution for non-compliance.
The minister was responding to a question by BJP MLA Tankadhar Tripathy.
Similarly, in 2025, the Labour Department issued show cause notices to 1896 shops and filed 130 prosecution cases against violators. In a previous drive, 508 shops received notices, and 19 faced prosecution for violating the Odia signboard directive. As many as 319 shopkeepers out of 2,594 have been fined for flouting norms, stated the Minister.
The Odisha Shops and Trade Establishments Act, 1956, mandates the use of Odia language on nameplates, with fines ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 for non-compliance. The government has been inspecting establishments to ensure compliance with a directive issued on February 1, 2018.
